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When patients do want to explore other options, they should consider the relative risk associated with different types of complementary and alternative medicine, said Dr. Steve Xu of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “With topical and oral complementary and alternative medicines, there is a greater potential for harm for adverse events, lesser clinical evidence for efficacy, and unclear manufacturing processes for ingredient purity and consistency,” Xu, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.

Lipoproteins are tiny, complex particles that transport fat and cholesterol through the blood. “There are a lot of different types of lipoproteins, but the ones that have apolipoprotein B on them are the ones that cause atherosclerosis,” said Dr. John Wilkins, a cardiologist and assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Wilkins, who wasn’t involved in the report, called the proposal a “very compelling idea” that might show whether older adults can avoid heart attacks and strokes by making sure they have low LDL and apo B levels earlier in their lives.

In addition to addiction issues, the harmful effects of alcohol on the brain are even stronger for the developing teenage brain, said Amy Herrold, research assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The parts of the brain that are really important for making decisions … are rapidly developing during this time frame,” she said. “That is why it’s so important for adolescents to treat their brain very carefully.”

Lori Post, who wasn’t involved in either study, suspects that if the questionnaire had been worded differently, Oertelt-Prigione’s study would have found an even higher prevalence of sexual harassment. “I believe the rate is closer to 100 percent,” said Post, who is director of the Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The difference is in how often and how bad it is.” Post also believes Thurston’s harassment numbers might have been higher if the Pittsburgh team had not excluded women with heart disease from the study, since heart disease could be correlated with harassment.

For African-American women in the study, the Southern diet explained 29 percent of their excess risk for high blood pressure. Even though a Southern diet rich in fried foods and saturated fat can indeed contribute to high blood pressure, this isn’t the only factor that matters, stressed Dr. Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Obesity, income, education, can also influence blood pressure, and sodium intake matters for women in particular, Yancy, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.

Together with 10 of Chicago’s largest hospitals, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., yesterday released an action plan to reduce violence and improve health in 18 Chicago neighborhoods by hiring and purchasing local, among other commitments. The Chicago HEAL Initiative (Hospital Engagement, Action and Leadership) is touted as a prevention strategy that recognizes hospitals as large employers and leaders of community initiatives. The 10 hospitals—including University of Chicago Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center—will partner to address a number of targets over the next three years, the plan states.

Judith Paice, a nurse and research professor who directs the pain program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Lurie Cancer Center, said cannabis can help with many symptoms associated with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Nausea, for example, is a frequent side effect and one she said many patients use cannabis to combat. It can also ease complications of cancer diagnosis and treatment like sleeplessness and anxiety. She said requests from patients for information and advice have increased since using medical marijuana became legal in Illinois four years ago.

Her doctor, Northwestern Medicine chief of breast surgery Dr. Nora Hansen, said it was clear from the beginning that running would be part of Drake’s healing. “Running for her is a big part of her life and has been for a long time,” she said. “When she had her cancer diagnosis, the big fear was that she wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.” Hansen said it’s important for patients to retain things they enjoy. Not every patient can or wants to exercise, but she encourages it when they can. “I do think it helps the patient be more centered and really helps them to heal,” she said.

Aimee Daley, 44, has been having annual mammograms for most of the last decade because she has a family history of breast cancer: her two maternal aunts, a paternal aunt and her paternal grandmother were diagnosed with the disease before menopause. So Daley, who is a stay-at-home mom in Chicago, has been vigilant about having the test regularly, she told TODAY. Her most recent mammogram took place last month at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

But he and others noted that there is limited data available to suggest that this is more than coincidence. “The reports of cancer transmitted at the time of organ transfer to recipients are exceedingly rare,” said Dr. Steven Flamm, medical director of the liver transplant program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “In the U.S. there has been hundreds of thousands of organ transplants, and the number of times this has been reported are close to zero. Still, no screening test is perfect. A mammogram may not pick up a very small cancer. So there is no way to eliminate the risk to zero.”